What odd creatures...

This book has been very hard for me to read and to get into. I am not into this kind of fantasy whatsoever. Goblins, trolls and hobbits are just kind of odd and "freaky" to me. For one thing, they don't seem like the most attractive, nice creatures at all and they are basically animals; well, at least I see them this way. It's interesting how many stories and movies from the past and the present include these odd creatures. I've always wondered what brought them about in all these children stories. I would think that many children would be afraid of these type of creatures(I mean, like I said earlier, they're freaky), yet I guess they're not too afraid of them considering many movies and books today are extrememly popular with young children.

The Ghost of Fossil Glen

This awesome book by Cynthia Defelice is my all time favorite book that I read when I was in elementary school. In my school it was required we read a certain number of Bluebonnet Award books, so I chose this one. I was either in fourth or fifth grade when I first read this book. I wasn't big on reading and still aren't, but I absolutely loved this one. I'm really into the whole ghost story, mystery books and movies so it was no wonder I liked this one so much. But it wasn't your normal ghost story, it actually "left you hanging on the edge of your seat," as they say, dying to know what happens next. It's about an 11 year-old girl named Allie who is searching for fossils one day and next thing you know finds herself hanging from Fossil Glen. Scared to death, she doesn't know what to do and then hears a voice talking to her. Wondering who the voice was and where it came from, Allie discovers it belongs to a girl who died named Lucy Stiles. From here, Allie receives her diary and learns all about her life right before she died and learns who killed her as well. This is a great story and I enjoyed reading it again after all these years.

Enchanted!

Disney's newest movie Enchanted starring Amy Adams and Patrick Dempsey is probably one of my newest favorite movies. It's about a innocent princess who is tricked by an evil witch and pushed into a magical wishing well that brings her to the real world of New York City. There she must learn all about real life and forget about the easy, happy, magical fairy tale life she came from. And just like in any fairy tale/romantic comedy, she falls in love with a prince, but not the fairy tale one. When I first went to see this movie in theaters I was a little skeptical on whether it would be a good movie or not, but me my mom and my sister ended up loving it! It was happy, sad, and funny all at the same time. The music was pretty good too. I know this is weird, but I did ask for the soundtrack for Christmas...haha. Now I feel like a kid again when I watch it because I sing along with the movie my family bought for Easter. It's a great movie and I'd recommend it to anybody who hasn't seen it.

Rossetti's Sing-Song

As I read Christina G. Rossetti's sing-song nursery rhyme book, I noticed it was a lot different than Robert Louis Stevenson's "A Child's Garden of Verses." Stevenson's children verses were happy, imaginative, adventerous, and "feel good;" while Rossetti's nursery rhymes weren't. I was very lost and confused as I read Rossetti's collection of nursery rhymes. None of them had titles so I never could tell if they coincided with the one on the next page or if it was just by itself. Also, Rossetti's book contained topics that weren't so happy and that dealt more with adults as opposed to young children. I also liked the illustrations in Stevenson's book a lot better too. Overall the main things discussed in her book were marriage, babies (birth), death, seasons, and women. I definately enjoyed Stevenson's writings much more than Rossetti's.

"Make Way for Ducklings"

As I was looking through childhood books with my friend at her house, I thought this would be the best because it kind of relates to Easter in the since that the ducks are the main characters and because the story is about them. This book by Robert McCloskey was awarded the Caldecott Medal as "The most distinguished American picture book for children" in the year it was published according to the title page. The illustrations were pretty impressive indeed. The pictures were black and white, antique looking, and very simple yet very detailed. I imagine the pictures were black and white because most t.v and movies were in black and white at the time the book was published. I liked this story a lot. It was cute how the parents made sure they had a nice, safe home for their children before even laying the eggs. And once they were born, they took care of them and taught them many things just like any good parents would. I thought it was also kind of interesting how the father duck wasn't as involved and present in the story as the mother duck (like we have seen in most of the fairy tales we've read). However, in the end the father not being there through a majority of the story is somewhat forgotten because he is waiting for the mother duck and the baby ducks on the little island.

"A Child's Garden of Verses"

This book is quite enjoyable. As I was reading it, I kind of remembered my childhood days. This book brings out the imaginative mind that most people have as children. It was a very happy and "feel good" collection of verses. These verses were separated into four different sections: the first one didn't really have a name, the second was entitled "The Child Alone," and the third was entitled "Garden Days," and the fourth one was entitled "Envoys" which he dedicated to people in his family. I don't really understand why the collection was called "A Child's Garden of Verses," but I guess it has to do with the image of children young and innocent playing in a garden, using their imagination to create whatever, and to explore and take adventures as well. The use of the word garden in the title and in one of the section titles could also refer to the innocence and growth of children just like life in a garden. I think its interesting how he incorporates so many stories and aspects of his childhood into the poems he writes. It seems that writing about his own life basically was an easy thing to do, but he was clever in creating themes and other figurative devices at the same time.

Easter time!

Easter time is usually a pretty, happy, as well as a religious time of the year for my family and I. This year, however, is a little different. Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of my Aunt's death, so this time of year isn't as joyous as usual. I love remembering the great times I've had with her, but it still is sad knowing she isn't here with us.

Easter not only reminds me of the religious side to it, but it reminds me also of Spring and happy children... as funny as that may sound. And indeed, thats what it seems like every Easter we go to Louisiana. All the little cousins go on a Easter egg hunt, we eat crawfish on the porch outside in the nice weather, and everyone enjoys everybody's company. I remember when I was a little kid and loved taking pictures with the Easter bunny at the mall and then waking up Easter morning to see what he had left me in my basket. My mom still fixes me and my sister little Easter baskets with candy and stuff, but it's not the same. I love being in college and older now, but it would be nice to go back in time and be a child again sometimes.

Lyric Poems

I've never really thought of songs as lyric poems, because the truth is I've never really dealt with or learned about lyric poems much in school. But as I was thinking more and more about it, it makes since that the songs we hear day to day are indeed lyric poems; some of them rhyme, some repeat, some contain figurative language, etc. Many of these songs that we could consider lyric poems are narrative poems as well that tell a story. As we are continuing to look at different types of poems in children's literature, I've realized that poems aren't so bad afterall. And all poems don't have to deal with Shakespeare either, unlike the ones I read all through high school. I think poems, especially nursery rhymes, are great to introduce to young children as they begin reading. It's poems/sonnettes like those of Shakespeare and other poets that cause students to dispise poems or the thought of them.

Nursery Rhymes

I never really considered nursery rhymes to be poems when I was little. I always thought of them as just fun sing alongs and stories, but now that we're beginning to discuss nursery rhymes in class I've realized exactly what they are: poems for children. It's weird to think that I knew "poems" before I could even read because of t.v shows like Barney, and also because of books that were read to me in school and at home. Another thing I've never really thought about is why the popular nursery rhymes that we all grew up with and loved are referred to as "Mother Goose" nursery rhymes. As we discussed in class the other day, Mother Goose isn't a real person so where did this popular name come from? It's also quite interesting that these nursery rhymes have been around for many many years, and will most likely continue to be even when my children are at the age to be introduced to them.

Poetry

When I hear or see the word poetry I think, oh great! The poetry that I have dealt with throughout my high school years the most is poems/sonnettes from Shakespeare and other poets that make it hard to grasp the "message" in their work. When I found out we were doing poetry in this class I was a little discouraged at first. However, I'm sure the poetry we read can't be that bad; I mean it is children's literature. I'm kind of looking forward to it actually because Dr. Robinson said on Wednesday that we would be reading the "fun" poetry on Friday. Whatever poetry we do read and discuss the next couple of class periods I'm sure will most likely be fun and enjoyable. And if not I'm sure we can make it be, especially if it has to do with children!

The Princess and the Goblin

The Princess and the Goblin has been kind of hard for me to follow along with and understand at times, especially when I first started reading the book. It's also my picture of a typical fantasy story like Cinderella, Harry Potter, etc. The more we discuss the meaning behind the characters and what takes place in the book, the more I understand and like the book. I really like the grandmother. At first, she seemed a little weird and somewhat scary, but as the story went along she became more magical and enchanted. I really like how she watches out for Irene in different ways, without Irene even being aware of it most of the time. She's your typical grandmother who cares and loves for her grandaughter; making sure she stays out of trouble, is always safe, does what she is told, and stays clean and healthy. Overall, this book isn't bad, but I think it would be more enjoyable for older children, ones who could maybe analyze the light aspect in it and understand the message behind the story itself.

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish

One fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish is a pretty popular book by Dr. Seuss, just like basically all of his books. I'm pretty sure I read them as a kid because they were an easy read and I enjoyed the rhyming. The pictures were pretty funny too. The characters in the book were nothing I had seen before; quite unusual. Actually, when I was little I probably just laughed at them, but now I wonder how Dr. Seuss came up with these unusual beings. The beginning of the book is rather normal as far as plot goes; the words are everyday words that children could easily recognize. The use of these everyday words, I believe, are quite helpful to children who read them, and the rhyming helps as well. As children read this book they can become familiar with everyday words as well as words that rhyme with one another, all while enjoying a rather funny story. However, the second half of the book seems a little silly with all the made up words and things like a "Whump," a "Nook," and "Zeds." I guess you can say this is the part of the story that really brings the "fantasy" side out. If you think about it, this world Dr. Seuss creates is somewhat magical, silly and "out there." Some may disagree with my outlook to the fantasy side of Dr. Seuss' stories, but everybody has their own opinions.